Kuli second to hang up her dancing shoes

By Kirstin Buick

01 August 2013

Just when Kuli Roberts was beginning to take the competition seriously, the judges and public decided it was time for her to go home.

Radio personality Kuli and her dance partner, Sylvester Sefotlhelo, were voted off last night on SABC3’s popular dance series Strictly Come Dancing. Kuli and Sylvester had to battle it out in a dance-off against fellow contestants Graeme Richards and Lindsey Muckle. Both couples had the least points from the judges and votes from the public. YOU last night caught up with the leaving couple backstage.

Kuli and Sylvester had danced for their lives two weeks in a row and didn’t think they’d be the second couple to leave the show. “I didn’t expect to get out this soon. We pushed a lot this week. But unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be,” says Sylvester.

Initially when he heard he’d be partnering with Kuli, he thought dancing with her would be a daunting task but they “soldiered on”. “Her personality was the inspiration behind our choreography. I wanted her to be herself, which is why I didn’t do a lot of tricks in our dance routine.” Last night the couple danced the rumba. Kuli said it wasn’t difficult to channel her sensuality, which was written all over her face on the dance floor. However the judges felt her body was too stiff.

“I love Sylvester; I think he is fabulous. I am sorry that I disappointed him but he’ll be strong,” says Kuli. The couple say they’ve enjoyed their journey on the show. “It’s been a fantastic experience. I have made new friends, lost some weight and I still have [a] gym membership,” says Kuli. “I am going to miss the fun I had with the girls. But it will be wonderful to watch the show from my bed.”

Kuli can’t wait to get back to her “life” but it seems she’s been bitten by the dancing bug. “I want to open up a Kuli Roberts dance school with Brandon Eilers [Connie Ferguson’s partner].”